Magento Image Gallery

Any more or less experienced online merchant understands the importance of visually attractive store content.

Before making the purchase any shopper usually would like to give a closer look at the item he/she was looking for, see how it fits, try it or at least somehow check it out. E-stores cannot offer all of these possibilities. The only way to create positive visual impression is product image, since it is the first thing your buyer will look at, when viewing the product.

Images Types in Magento

You can add multiple images to your products using them for different purposes. Generally, you can make your images as small, base or thumbnail.

Base image is used to showcase your product on its main page. It is shown along with description and other details. Image size is fixed, but clients can use zoom to see it closer.

Small image is used on category listings and search results pages. Moreover, they are also can be seen when product is added as Cross- or Up-Sell.

Thumbnail is smaller version of base image or the one that simply smaller in size. It is usually seen under base image, in some blocks, like ‘Related Items’.

Gallery

The information mentioned above might create the wrong impression that you can add only 3 images. Actually it is not true. You can add as many images as you wish. They all will be placed to image gallery and then you decide which of them will be small, base and thumbnail by ticking appropriate boxes.

For example, you have added 7 images and in front of 3 put checkboxes making them serve the mentioned purposes. What will happen to other 4 images? They will be shown at the front-end in a gallery under the base image (by default) and client can view them, checking the product from the each angle.

This gallery is also called Thumbnail Gallery, however, not all images there are thumbnails. You can treat it simply as gallery will all images assigned to this product, unless ‘Exclude’ option is checked.

Imagine that you are selling product in 4 colors, but one of them is temporarily not available. ‘Exclude’ box allows to hide particular image from clients view without the necessity to delete it completely from image list.

Procedure of Adding Images

In order to see and add pictures in Store Manager for Magento, you have to make sure that your FTP connection is set up correctly.

Generally, icons can be added to product either by clicking on “Add” button or dropped to image holder directly from the folder at your PC.

It is also possible to add picture using its URL or assign the ones that have been previously added from your FTP.

After the image is added, you will see the path using which it will be possible to find it at your server. As Magento itself requires, all images are placed to media/catalog/product location at your FTP and further 2 more subdirectories are created on the basis of 2 first letters/numbers of image name. For instance, image with name test.png you need to look in your store root using this path:

media/catalog/product/t/e/test.png

Image Resize Rules

Adding image you can right away set resize rule for it in order to ensure that it will be properly shown from your clients’ size.

Indicating desired width and height you can adapt your image right in the process of its upload.

*Please note, Magento 1.9.1 and higher comes with image management changes. One and the same image can not be assigned to multiple products with identical name. Store Manager works due to Magento logic, regenerates image name (e.g _1) if it is assigned to several products and adds the same image with different names.